Simpler times. Back when things at least pretended to make sense.

The people I work for are going to start to think I have an aversion to the place, such is not the case. Yesterday I was sick and today I had to call in a bereavement day. One of the worst types of things to have to call in from work for because you only do it when you be reaving. Yes, it was a death joke,  but I somehow doubt that anyone who knows me is surprised, that’s just how I deal.

So I woke up this morning at about 8 with this crazy intense pain in my left eye, tears were just streaming out of my one eye, as if it had just watched that episode of Fresh Prince when Will’s dad comes back only to leave again. I got up to put some drops in it to ease the pain and to put a war, washcloth on it. Now, yesterday pr the day before I found out that my Aunt Maddie was in the hospital. She’s my Aunt every way short of genetics, I’ve known her for as long as I’ve known my parents and for the last couple of years she hasn’t been doing all that great, so when mom got the call that she was taken to the hospital the same thought went through all our heads of whether or not she was coming back home again. That question was answered this morning before we really for the official news since Uncle Eric called and left a message to call him back and gave no detail whatsoever as to how she was or anything like that. Dad tried to call him but got the machine so he then went to grab a few things at the store and gave me the phone before he left. While I was lying there in bed with a face cloth in the same position the name suggests, the phone rang and the caller I.D. showed up as Eric calling back. I felt horrible for doing it because I knew all he wanted to do was let us know and have it over and done with, but I couldn’t bring myself to pick up the phone, I didn’t want to be the one to get the news, for one she was a close friend of my parent’s so I thought they deserved to hear it from him, not me. But also I think subconsciously it was a matter of if I don’t answer then he can’t tell me and if he can’t tell me, then its technically not true yet. Until I answer that call I don’t know the outcome, Schrödinger’s Phone if you will.

Eventually the game of phone tag was over and we were given word that she had passed away about 4:30 this morning, and that funeral arrangements were tentatively being made for Thursday. Now mom was the only one not in the loop and we were trying to figure out how to tell her and decided it be better if we not tell her at lunch and let her know when she came home from work so she would not have to dwell on it while trying to get things done. I told her I had stayed home due to the previous eye issue when I called to ask her about a purchase I was thinking of making while out and about after hitting up the Doc’s office.

See, today is also the Father Unit’s birthday, I did not get him a card and had been wracking my brain trying to think of a gift and then it hit me, he’s a huge Beatles fan and while I couldn’t cover it myself mom said she would go splits on it so I got him to take me to Walmart and I picked up the entire Beatles collection box set in stereo, he was quite pleased with it and the big payoff was him sitting there like a little kid at Christmas, taking out each case and looking at all the pictures and then the booklet that came with each one, being very careful not to get them out of order for fear they would never go back again. I also made dinner, BBQ’ed some chicken and pork roast as well as roasted some potatoes on the grill while I was at it, the meat was seasoned with some dry mustard and brown sugar and turned out pretty damn good for my first crack at it if I do say so myself. While I was out back workin’ the grill I took the brief break in clouds as on opportunity to take some photos of the rain droplets and such on the flowers and leaves of the plants. If you’re interested they’re on my FB page.

That’s my day in 1000 words or less, at least that’s what the word count says but I think it only counts words with a certain amount of letters…bastard.

-Chuck Palahniuk